Christmas is high season for kids' books, and they're a lot easier to wrap than a new bike

On the scale of desirable holiday gifts, most kids are likely to rank books above only socks. But there's no need to disappoint your children, at least not this early in their lives. Diane Roback, children's-book editor at Publisher's Weekly, points out that 40% of the category's sales are made in November and December, so "everything is geared to come out during that time." In other words, there are enough options out there to find something your kid will enjoy.

Even the most video-game jaded should be dazzled by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as reimagined by Robert Sabuda. Modestly calling...